The top sumo wrestlers in Japan compete every other month in tournaments that last two weeks. The March tournament just started a couple days ago, and for the rest of the tournament I plan to post daily links to recap videos. You’re welcome to come join and discuss and/or ask questions.
Imagine two linebackers crashing against each other but they have no padding and they’re allowed to do judo throws and there’s a priest urging them on. That’s basically sumo.
Americans tend to think of sumo as a funny thing, but in reality it’s a quasi-religious endeavour. The wrestlers live communally in a highly stratified environment training daily, and the referees perform shinto-derived rituals before and after the day’s matches. The wrestlers gain weight to make them harder to push, but underneath that weight they are half muscle.
Anyway check it out!
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Thank you! I just watched Sanctuary on Netflix and this is a good next step.
Oh yeah Sanctuary kills! another couple good things:
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aij5PTNHdvY - what could be better than a couple drunk Texas sumotori watching the 1992 film “Sumo Do, Sumo Don’t”? Not much. It takes them 5 minutes just to get the movie started tho lel. There’s also a 2022 miniseries of the same name but you’ll have to find someone with a Disney account for that.
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5CISA3X2cJw - Hinomaru Sumo anime. sub is better imho but most of the dub is free at that link. It’s missing the last episode of season 2 tho, you’ll have to find it elsewhere if you get that far, I think it’s on crunchyroll and amazon streaming.